I've had a lifelong interest in discrimination and birth-defects stemming from being bullied for my once-nasal cleft-palate speech. Hence I was interested when college classmate Alain Gunn wrote The Titanium Rib. The Discrimination Angle The book is about a device that allows infants born with defective chests and lung function to live. And it's a true story of two dedicated surgeons —one being a black man who endured discrimination as a trailblazer entering the lily white ranks of … [Read more...]
Adorable cleft-lipped boy adopts a cleft puppy—instant love.
Amid the 4 Ps confronting us Californians —pandemic, poverty, protests, and pyrotechnics* — comes a heartwarming story from Sydney Page at The Washington Post. Just what I needed, as a fellow cleft-affected person, to forget about the "plagues" which are depressing us in the San Francisco Bay Area. We've had to keep indoors (no outdoor masked activity) for twenty-something straight "unhealthy" Spare the Air days due to wildfires. Then a man who has a 2-year-old with a cleft … [Read more...]
“Just Mercy” author addresses issues raised by George Floyd’s death.
In my last blog, I passed along a progressive black man's take on the massive George Floyd protests. It was written by a Harvard Law grad who is a proponent of nonviolence. I'm giving time in today's blog to a moderate black man's take on the issue of racism raised by the protests. Attorney Bryan Stevenson, also a Harvard Law grad, is having a bit of a moment. The movie of his book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption has just been released. It stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, … [Read more...]
Celebrate a killer or his victim on Earth Day? Ira vs Holly.
Who're you supporting if your choices are Ira and Holly? National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW) is this week. So is Earth Week which features today, Earth Day, which celebrates its Golden Anniversary. Earth Week There are stories looking at the silver lining of the Covid-19 pandemic. It's the seeming lack of pollution globally. Though some claim hi up atmospheric gases still loom ominously. And there are also stories … [Read more...]
Ira Einhorn, the Unicorn Killer, dies, but lives on in my book.
One of the murderers in my Privileged Killers and the Psychopaths among us, just died. I've blogged about him from time to time - here for example and with photos here. Tho his death has been widely reported as due to natural causes, he died of longstanding cardiac problems. His death, allegedly, was unrelated to the current coronavirus pandemic. . Nick Arama, writes in NBC Philadelphia that one-time environmentalist: "Ira Einhorn, 79, has died in prison. Susan … [Read more...]
Easier ‘n Where’s Waldo.Find CLEFT HEART readers in photos.
It's easy to find Waldo these days. He's the only one at the beach or out on a once-busy Manhattan street. So, check out the two photos in this blog and figure out who's reading Cleft Heart. Let me know. Unprecedented Times for us all. As the great political writer Thomas Paine wrote during a low point in the American Revolutionary War, "These are the times that try men's souls." But as another great writer, Charles Dickens, wrote at the same time, "It was the best of times, it was the … [Read more...]
Crime – Myths about the Evil Genius Killer – Tutorial for Tru-Crime Fans & Writers
Fans of true-crime books and crime writers are often drawn to evil genius killer stories. And so are everyday people since these stories both horrify and fascinate us frequently. Evil genius killer tutorial. As a service to my fans and fellow true-crime writers, I'm providing another tutorial. This one deals with the myth and facts about one such killer, Ira Einhorn. Hopefully, you readers will find it interesting. And you writers will find it useful. Many of our feelings and much of … [Read more...]